Is there anything right about tariffs?

 

Markets plunge after Trump slaps tariffs on world

What do tariffs do?...

Tariffs on imports are designed to raise the price of imported goods and services to discourage consumption. The intention is for citizens to buy local products instead, thereby stimulating their country's economy. Tariffs therefore provide an incentive to develop production and replace imports with domestic products.

What are the effects of tariffs?...

Tariffs affect consumers in two main ways. First, they increase the cost of what we buy when the added cost, which companies pay as a tax to the federal government, gets passed on to consumers. Second, they might reduce the range of products available by making some importation unprofitable.

 On what tariffs do, it would seem the push for citizens to buy local products would not be so necessary when you have a thriving economy. According to Chicago Booth Review...

"The White House released a brief on October 30, just days before the election, touting the latest quarterly data. Under the Biden administration, real GDP rose 12.6 percent, rightly cheered in the report as “a historically robust expansion” that repeatedly defied forecasts. Since the pandemic, economic growth in the US has far outpaced that of our peer nations. Business investment is up; unemployment is low."

The above is what Joe Biden passed along to Donald Trump. 

Sure, we want everyone to buy American. But, is that need so justified when we have a

Tariffs stock market concerns

thriving economy as described above? And, are tariffs justified when they increase costs to the public and we could end up in a vicious trade war, accompanied by a damning recession? On the other hand, CNBC has come up with tariff comparisons between the United States and several countries. This is very interesting, but I am going to concentrate on just those nations that are similar in size to the U.S.

China tariffs charged to the USA, 67%; Trump charge 34%. Israel charges 33%; U.S. 17%. Japan 46%; U.S. 24%. India 52%; U.S. 26%. Here's a switch, U.K. 10%; U.S. 10%. And again, United Arab Emirates 10%; U.S. 10%. Likewise, Australia 10%; U.S. 10%.

There's more...

The White House told CNBC’s Eamon Javers on Wednesday that the new reciprocal rate on China will be added to existing tariffs totaling 20%, meaning the true tariff rate on Beijing under this Trump term is 54%.

Trump said his plan will set a 10% baseline tariff across the board. But as his charts make clear, many countries are set to face significantly higher rates. “We will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us,” Trump said in an announcement in the Rose Garden at the White House.

Here is some U.S. tariff history from Wikipedia...

The United States pursued a protectionist policy from the beginning of the 19th century until the middle of the 20th century. Between 1861 and 1933, they had one of the highest average tariff rates on manufactured imports in the world. After 1942, the U.S. began to promote worldwide free trade. After the 2016 presidential election, the US increased trade protectionism.

It would appear that world trade has proven one of the reasons for the current tariff policies of the U.S. In the past, America has been a fair country, working with its allies around the world for equal economic prosperity. That is, until Donald Trump started his demolition of diplomacy. The outlook now is increased consumer prices, a potential trade war, and a possible recession. Is this what you elected Donald Trump for?

 

Did Cory Booker stir the silent left?

 

Sen. Cory Booker

The silent left, you know, the apathetics; that bunch that has taken an oath to hear no politics, see no politics, speak no politics. They're convinced what they have to say and their vote don't count so they just stay home and fester. Did Sen. Cory Booker's 25 hour speech, a new record, start the pot simmering when he turned up the flames of democracy? This is the first dramatic move the left has made in a long time and the hope is the base won't let Cory Booker down. Here is Sen. minority leader Chuck Schumer's full statement on the speech...

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor to applaud Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) for his record-breaking, 25 hour floor speech fighting for American families against the injustices of the Trump administration. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Yesterday, my good friend, Senator Booker, delivered the longest address in the history of the Senate to lay the case of Republican cruelty for all of the American people to see.

And as important as the length of Senator Booker’s speech was – and it was phenomenal, the stamina, the preparation, the focus he showed by speaking for 25 hours was amazing enough – but just as amazing was what he said. He shined a light on the terrible dangers the Trump administration poses to the country we love.

I thank him for his brilliance, for his moral clarity, for his inextinguishable passion. It was a speech for the ages. It will be long remembered not only here in the Senate, but throughout America. It was a tour de force like we rarely see here.

Senator Booker, I thank you, the Senate thanks you, but most of all, the American people thank you.

The Silent Left

Take note of the last paragraph where Schumer shares thanks and ends with, "...but most of all, the American people thank you." I personally feel the 'American people' were ready for this and with some help from the left, the long-awaited steps against Donald Trump and his administration will begin. Do you realize, folks, we have nothing to lose. t-RUMP and the White House maniac #2, Elon Musk, have plunged the U.S. into utter chaos with the mass closing of critical agencies and the firing of valued employees.

Booker might have limped off the floor after his 25 hour, 5 minute speech, but what he said was a firm declaration of the corruption and destruction by Donald Trump and his minions, as they destroy the U.S. government. Here's the scenario...

"It was a remarkable show of stamina as Democrats try to show their frustrated supporters that they are doing everything possible to contest Trump’s agenda. Yet Booker also provided a moment of historical solace for a party searching for its way forward: By standing on the Senate floor for more than a night and day and refusing to leave, he had broken a record set 68 years ago by then Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a segregationist and southern Democrat, to filibuster the advance of the Civil Rights Act in 1957."

And this from the U.S. House...

"House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the first Black party leader in Congress, slipped into the Senate chamber to watch Booker on Tuesday afternoon. He called it 'an incredibly powerful moment' because Booker had broken the record of a segregationist and was 'fighting to preserve the American way of life and our democracy.'”

The Senator wrapped up his speech and then yielded the floor to enthusiastic applause, as reported by ABC...

"From all Americans, this is a moral moment. It's not left or right -- it's right or wrong," Booker said after continuing his speech and touching on everything from cuts to federal programs initiated by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to the controversy surrounding Trump administration officials' use of the Signal messaging app.

I definitely think the pot has been stirred. 

Donald Trump’s NEW reality show...GHASTLY

 

Trumpelstiltskin

To kick off today's show, after we have enormous, replicated, perplexing blather from its creator, Donald Trump's new reality show features a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decision...

"...not to release their experts’ assessment that found the risk of catching measles is high in areas near outbreaks where vaccination rates are lagging."

And according to ProPublica, this is why RFK Jr.'s CDC did not release the report: “because it does not say anything that the public doesn’t already know.” If ever we have seen RFK's stupidity at work, this takes the case. Of course we wouldn't want to re-alert the public to the dangers of the vicious spread of measles; the Kennedy dropout doesn't think there is any danger.

Just what we need, the new Canadian Prime Minister told Donald Trump, "...the country’s relationship with the U.S. was “over.” This in response to t-RUMP'S asinine actions against our northern neighbor and friend for years. And then the Oval Office lunatic backed off, according to The New Republic...

“I just finished speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, of Canada. It was an extremely productive call, we agree on many things, and will be meeting immediately after Canada’s upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada.”

Go figure.

Revisiting the antics of RFK Jr., this conspiracy maniac forced the FDA’s top vaccine scientist, Peter Marks, the nation’s top vaccine regulator and an architect of the U.S. program to rapidly develop coronavirus vaccines, to resign. This estimable professional in his field was offered the choice to resign or be fired. He resigned, but added...

“It is unconscionable with measles outbreaks to not have a full-throated endorsement of measles vaccinations,” Marks told The Washington Post.

And this is why was he was fired...

"A Department of Health and Human Services official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said that Marks did not have a 'place at FDA' if he did not buy into Kennedy’s vision for the agency."

A vision that has already seen two people die from measles in the U.S.

As a means to call attention to a major intelligence blunder by the Trump administration and their moves to "downplay" their strategy, as well as reconfirming their credibility, The Atlantic, reported by Mother Jones...

"...on Wednesday published new exchanges that confirmed war plans—including launch times—of the upcoming mission to bomb Houthi targets across Yemen were discussed in the Signal chat that accidentally included the publication’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg."

The reaction was also prompted by the fact...

"Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, smeared the publication and denied that classified information was discussed in the chat."

After botching confidential U.S.intelligence, then Donald Trump resorts to lying about it. Cause for impeachment?

Now the Apprentice has-been wants to “'[Restore] Truth and Sanity to American History' by ordering the Smithsonian Institution to teach only the good stuff about America." Wonkette adds, with a bit of sarcasm...

"...which has always been just and right and perfect except when Democrats stole elections.

Here's the scenario...

"The order instructs Vice President JD Vance, who by law is one of 17 members of the Smithsonian’s board of regents, to “work to eliminate improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology from the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo,” because, the order lies, Joe Biden came in and made the Smithsonian, and indeed all American history curricula everywhere, all woke, all by himself."

Nothing is sacred to this fruitcake, but what is at stake here is an accurate history of our country. 

Terrifying: A Donald Trump third term. Here's the headline from Tag 24: "Trump says he is 'not joking' about possible third term as US president." And I'm not joking, if anything can awaken the apathetic American public, four more years of Donald Trump could do it. Of course, the Constitution specifies a two-term limit, but what the hell does t-RUMP care about a 237-year-old document. In his conversation with NBC News, Trump said, "There are methods which you could do it."

This is not about a third term, this is about a continuing dictatorship. But here is one plan NBC News came up with...

"NBC News asked about a possible scenario in which Vice President JD Vance would run for office and then pass the role to Trump. Trump responded that 'that’s one' method."

 “But there are others, too,” Trump added.

Asked to share another method, Trump simply responded “no.”

The key to this piece is a 237-year-old document that has stood the challenges of time.

Trump sends J.D. Vance to Greenland, where he pisses off the people by being there and they completely ignore him. Here's what the Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen had to say...

"The Danish foreign minister on Saturday scolded the Trump administration for

 

its 'tone' in criticizing Denmark and Greenland, saying his country is already investing more into Arctic security and remains open to more cooperation with the U.S."

Of course Trumpelstiltskin and his big mouth chimed in...

"...Donald Trump maintained an aggressive tone, telling NBC News that "I never take military force off the table" in regards to acquiring Greenland.

And that's not the White House maniac's only threat this week, he threatens to bomb Iran if a nuclear deal can’t be reached. His actual words...

“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”

Iran had already rejected direct negotiations with the administration in response to a letter from Donald Trump. Now a country with strong support for terrorism doesn't trust Trump.

Coming up...Donald Trump's shell game.

 

The Donald Trump collection...DISORIENTED

 

Donald Trump disoriented

It is almost impossible to select one blog post subject these days when talking about Donald Trump. So, here is a selection that should delight even the most radical Republican...

The Trump gang is downplaying the Signal issue, but new polling suggests that the president is facing a growing revolt over it among GOP voters. Read more

Rachel Maddow says "GOP poll numbers 'dropping like a stone.'" 

"New polling from Gallup just out today shows that there's no issue in which the American people like what Donald Trump is doing,"

"On his handling of the economy, Trump is 18 points "under water," Maddow said, and 19 points under water on his relations with Russia.

"He's underwater on his handling of the federal budget, energy policy, on foreign affairs, on the Ukraine war, on the environment. On even his relations with the dreaded news media!"

Read more 

A member of Denmark's parliament has warned the United States: "We cannot be allies with US if Trump tries to take our territory away." Vance is in Greenland while Trump exclaims, "he wouldn't rule out using economic and/or military methods to take over the island. Read more

In his 1949 novel, 1984, George Orwell warned of the Surveillance, Manipulation, and Authoritarianism that t-RUMP's administration has forced on Americans. Orwell's dystopian society is no longer fiction, it has become the reality of today. What we are experiencing is Donald Trump's escalation to the dictatorship he has been string for years. Read more

This headline says it all: "Vaccine skeptic hired to head federal study of immunizations and autism." That's right, RFK Jr. hired a long-discredited researcher and vaccine skeptic to conduct a government study on whether vaccines cause autism. Read more

Are we really getting rid of Elon Musk? He says "he'll 'ditch Trump' and quit Washington D.C. after DOGE purge." DOGE employee said, "President Trump has been very clear, scalpel not hatchet and that's the way its been getting done." Bullshit! Here's what the House Committee on the Budget said just last week: "DOGE's Mass Firings Result in Gutted Services and Higher Costs." Read more

Steve Bannon attacks the courts to keep Trump out of prison. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered President Donald Trump to preserve all records from the "Signalgate" scandal. Bannon's concern is that when [not if] the Democrats come back into power, Trump's track record of dodging prison time for his criminal charges will run out. Read more.

New Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, says 'old relationship' with US 'is over.'

t-RUMP, the White House sham, cowers and plans his next stupidity. Read more

Here is Canada in retaliation: "Canada 'rage room' lets visitors smash Trump, Vance, Musk portraits to release tariff angst." But, "Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says there may be a limit to Ottawa's ability to escalate a tariff war." Read more

Signal chat won't go away. "U.S. District Judge James Boasberg orders Trump administration to preserve Signal chat on Yemen strikes."  The same judge, earlier this month, temporarily blocked Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport more than 200 alleged migrant gang members to El Salvador without due process. Read more

The New Republic reveals Trump's cluelessness over what he is doing. "The American public knew before Donald Trump that top administration officials had conducted airstrikes on Yemen via a Signal chat, and now it appears that the president has been left in the dark on other intelligence matters too. Read more

Is Trump losing interest in governing? Not that he has ever really governed but AlterNet has concerns...

"over President Donald Trump’s ability, willingness, or even interest in engaging with the most pressing issues facing the country, as he increasingly—and casually—admits to being unaware of critical matters. His repeated declarations of ignorance, often delivered without hesitation or concern, have deepened alarm among critics who warn of a dangerous void in informed leadership in the Oval Office."

Read more 

Here's a headline that is irresistible: "The American Dream is officially over," by Donald Earl Collins of Aljazeera. Collins adds, "All because the rich must always steal from the poor." Sound familiar? Bernie Sanders has been saying that for years. Here's an example...

According to a report from Moody’s Analytics in February, the richest 10 percent of Americans (households with an annual income of at least $250,000) [12.7 million households] drove half of all US consumer spending (about $10 trillion) between September 2023 and September 2024.

Read more 

 RFK Jr.'s vitamin A conspiracy sends kids to the hospital. Here's the scenario...

As the New York Times reports, overuse of Vitamin A — health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s purported measles cure, alongside cod liver oil, which contains the same vitamin — has led to liver damage and yellowed skin in children infected with measles.

Read more 

And, so much for today...

If we have a mental case in the Oval Office, shouldn't we do something?

 

Post-traumatic embitterment disorder (PTED)

The person that has been elected to run the United States should have his or her hands on the pulse of the country. Recently reelected Donald Trump does not. He is more concerned with retribution toward his enemies and most recently, slapping tariffs on any country that disagrees with him. I Googled "revenge and mental illness" and found there is Post-traumatic embitterment disorder (PTED), which is defined as a pathological reaction to a negative life event. The perfect description of t-RUMP in action against his adversaries.

And there is more to identify Trump as losing it. Apparently there was public knowledge about the recent Signal intelligence breach before the White House maniac knew. Then, "Trump casually admitted that he was not aware that several U.S. army members had gone missing during a training exercise in Lithuania." It isn't so much that he didn't know; the problem is that he didn't care that he didn't know. The New Republic comments...

"But the armymen were known to be missing as early as Tuesday at 4:45 p.m., the Lithuanian military said, so why Trump was still unaware of the situation more than 24 hours later is unclear."

"The lapse in Trump’s knowledge begs the question, however, as to just how much intel the president has been left out of within the folds of his own administration."

The question, however, is whether or not Trump even wants the intel. And more from TNR...

"During another White House press briefing on Monday, Trump fumbled by admitting that he was not only not invited to his Cabinet’s Signal exchange, in which his top officials discussed when, how, and where they would bomb Houthi targets in Yemen, but that he actually had no idea it had happened."

 

AlterNet exclaims there are...

"Concerns are mounting over President Donald Trump’s ability, willingness, or even interest in engaging with the most pressing issues facing the country, as he increasingly—and casually—admits to being unaware of critical matters. His repeated declarations of ignorance, often delivered without hesitation or concern, have deepened alarm among critics who warn of a dangerous void in informed leadership in the Oval Office."

The concerns are relative to the two points already mentioned, but illustrates how Trump's mental efficacy is on the minds of major media. There's more from AlterNet...

“Hegseth is doing a great job. He had nothing to do this. Hegseth? How do you bring Hegseth into it? He had nothing to do with it. Look, it’s all a witch hunt,” Trump told the reporter. He then went on to try to blame Signal, saying he thought it could be “defective.”

If this is the response of someone with all his marbles in the right place, then the study of psychology has gone down the drain. And it is Huff Post that reflects on the most prevalent psycho side of  Donald Trump's psyche, his early morning rants on Truth Social...

"President Donald Trump fired off a series of wild messages on a number of topics during a flurry of activity on his Truth Social website in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

"Trump railed against a judge, attacked PBS and NPR, defended his tariffs and sent a warning to Europe and Canada, which were once key U.S. allies."

 The key words here are, 'were once key U.S. allies.' The question is how many more allies will we lose before the people of this country finally stand up to Donald Trump?

t

Has Donald Trump made you feel ill?

 

Back in September of 2017, columnist Dana Milbank said, "President Trump is killing me. No, really. He’s killing me." Here's the story from Milbank...

"I went for my annual physical last month, and, for the first time in my 49 years, I had to report that I’ve not been feeling well: fatigue, headaches, poor sleep, even some occasional chest pain. My doctor checked my blood pressure, which had always been normal before: alarmingly high!"

The columnist couldn't explain any of this because his lifestyle was one of different physical activities designed to keep him in good shape. A regulated diet didn't help much; EKG was normal; and sleep apnea, among other possibilities, was ruled out. Even a CT scan didn't reveal anything threatening. Then, Holy crap, Dana Milbank felt a THUD. He was suffering from Trump Hypertensive Unexplained Disorder. He commented...

"For almost five decades, I had been the picture of health, but eight months into Trump’s presidency, I was suddenly ailing. Trump is the only variable, I told my doctor. “He sure is variable,” my doc replied, endorsing the diagnosis."

Milbank knew THUD was real when his editor told him he was warned by his doctor that his blood pressure had become borderline. And then to confirm for himself that THUD was for real, he bought a blood pressure cuff. As an example, spending the evening with friends, his blood pressure was 116/67. On another occasion he remembered that Trump’s term would last another 40 months, his blood pressure was 159/97. This is the outcome...

"Psychotherapists tell me that they are unusually busy and that most clients are talking about Trump, who is exacerbating whatever neurosis, depression or other conditions they had. This is probably quantifiable, but I am too fatigued to do this work. My heart can only take so much."

Fast forward to 2019, the headline says, "Research Suggests Trump’s Election Has Been Detrimental to Many Americans’ Mental Health."  Following are examples of THUD...

Overeating. Headaches. Fainting. Irregular heartbeat. Chronic neck pain. Depression. Irritable bowel syndrome. Tightness in the chest. Shortness of breath. Teeth grinding. Stomach ulcer. Indigestion. Shingles. Eye twitching. Nausea. Irritability. High blood sugar. Tinnitus. Reduced immunity. Racing pulse. Shaking limbs. Hair loss. Acid reflux. Deteriorating vision. Stroke. Heart attack. It was a veritable organ recital.

 Over a two-year period things got no better. Active research included a broad segment of the American population, from young adults to women, to racial and LGBT communities. Findings were still negative...

The American Psychological Association‘s 2016 “Stress in America” survey, conducted online among some 3,400 American adults and published in February of 2017, found that 63 percent of respondents regard the future of the country as “a significant source of stress”; some 56 percent “say that they are stressed by the current political climate.” The 2018 edition of the survey showed that the number of Americans who view the future of the country as a significant stressor had jumped to 69 percent; those who saw the political climate as a source of stress had jumped to 62 percent.

 And in 2017, two Harvard experts said, "Donald Trump’s presidency could make Americans sicker," but they suggested reasons other than polarizing politics...

"His administration’s proposed cuts to health and well-being programs could also hurt the population's health, if history is anything to go by, they said."

"Their commentary, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, points to study after study documenting health effects that occur after landmark elections."

Fast forward again, this time to present day after t-RUMP is in the White House again. The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) projected in July of 2024...

"From eliminating the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to cutting Medicaid benefits, increasing Medicare Part D prescription drug prices and eliminating reproductive freedom nationwide, Donald Trump’s Project 2025 would have disastrous, deadly consequences on our country’s health care system."

Project 2025 is the blueprint for Trump if he wins a second term. Written by many of his former advisers, the 900-page document contains hundreds of policy proposals that would benefit the wealthy and corporations at the expense of working families and give Trump unprecedented executive power and control over our lives. Read our overview blog to learn about all the harms this blueprint would cause if implemented.

The above, in a different fashion than Dana Milbank's mental approach, explores the more physical aspects of how Donald Trump takes our health from us through the elimination and cutting back of programs that support medical care. Aljazeera comes right out and says it in February of this year: "How Project 2025, which Trump disavowed, is shaping his health policies." Here is the scenario...

Few voters likely expected President Donald Trump in the first weeks of his administration to slash billions of dollars from the nation’s premier federal cancer research agency.

But funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were presaged in Project 2025’s “Mandate for Leadership”, a conservative plan for governance that Trump said he knew nothing about during his campaign. Now, his administration has embraced it.

If you want a brief explanation of Project 2025, go to this BBC site. If you want to keep your well-being, I suggest you write your Congress person and tell them you are not willing to give up your health for Donald Trump or any other Republican.

BERNIE IS BACK!

Bernie Sanders in Colorado

Yes, Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, who has been serving in the U.S. Senate since 2007, and ran for President in 2016 and 2020, is back on the campaign trail fighting Donald Trump's oligarchy. He is being accompanied by the Progressive New York Repreesentative, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In my mind, Bernie had two questionable presidential losses. One, 2016 against Hillary Clinton, orchestrated by the DNC, and two, 2020, against an insurmountable presumptive candidate, Joe Biden.

Okay, Bernie is 83, will be 87 when he would run. But don't forget AOC, only 35, and certainly capable of taking over the presidency if something happened to Bernie. She'd make a great vice president for the Bern since they obviously have the chemistry. And we are seeing a new Bernie Sanders with his current focus on defeating Donald Trump's oligarchy. Not that he had forgotten his working class ideology, it is just obvious today that a strong force from the left is needed to conquer the would-be king.

My wife and I still receive emails from Bernie and just this past week he alerted us to his current trip through Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. The rallies drew 34,000 in Denver, another 11,000 at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Arizona, heavily Republican, had crowds of 15,000 with thousands more watching online. And Nevada numbers aren't clear but the campaign quotes in the thousands. Bernie's and AOC's group said they expected a total of 51,000 for the trip. Arizona, Colorado alone had 60,000.

In his email, Bernie expressed frustration of the last Democratic votes between those who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. Also noted was the loss in this election of working people, young people and Latinos. In other words, the Dems have completely lost contact with their base. Added to this is the fact that the Democratic Party has the lowest approval rating in decades. The Bern asks why and answers his own question. The establishment politicians just don't get it anymore.

The good news is that Americans across the country have had it with oligarchy. His three state rally speaks to this end indicating a need to reject the corporate wing of the party and head for the grassroots. People don't want authoritarianism and the huge tax breaks Donald Trump plans for the wealthy people of this country in favor of shifting the emphasis back to working class families. Voters are fired up nationwide, illustrated by the fact that thousands came out to Bernie/AOC meetings in Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan and Wisconsin.

American Oligarchy by Mother Jones

This is what Bernie had to say at the Denver rally...

“In the hundreds of rallies that I have done, we have never, ever had a rally as large as this,” Sanders said. “And Denver, your presence here today is not just significant for Colorado. You are sending a profound message all over the world. The whole world is watching, and they want to know if the people of America are going to stand up to Trumpism, oligarchy and authoritarianism.”

There's more...

“Abraham Lincoln talked about a government of the people, by the people, for the people,” Sanders said. “Well, Trump has a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, for the billionaires. And what these guys are busy doing right now is going after Medicaid, going after Social Security, going after nutrition. The rich want to get richer and they don’t care who they step on.”

Bernie Sanders has been talking about oligarchy for years, reports NPR, but, now he talks about his favorite subject...

"...the Democratic Party has also turned its back on the American working class and suggested the party capitalize on this moment by championing policies that address things like income inequality, health care and climate change."

I have thought, and still believe, that the Bern should have won in 2016. There was talk that Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida representative and head of the DNC at the time, did some finagling that won the Democratic nomination for Hillary Clinton. Clinton, of course, who blew it in the last lap and we ended up with t-RUMP's first term. And it was then the seeds were sowed for the oligarchy Bernie Sanders is fighting today. Here is one of his recent statements...

"We will not allow you to move this country into an oligarchy," Sanders pledged, speaking directly to Trump. "We're not going to allow you and your friend Mr. Musk and the other billionaires to wreak havoc on the working families of this country. No, you're not going to destroy Social Security. You're not going to destroy Medicaid. You're not going to destroy the Veterans administration."

Although the Democratic Party has become unpopular, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

said, "voters still have power to push back against Trump administration policies..." and adds...

"Ironically, the most divisive forces in this country are actually starting to bring more of us together," she said. "And that's important, because the same billionaires who are taking a wrecking ball to our country derive their power from dividing working people apart."

Americans are sick of Trump in only the short time he has been in the White House. I don't know what it will be but I sense we are on the cusp of reestablishing our democracy. 

 

Rodrigo Duterte goes to Hague Tribunal ...Is Donald Trump next?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Donald Trump is dismantling the fabric of America

 

Donald Trump the dismantler

The Oval Office lunatic thinks it will happen, referring to taking over Greenland, a Danish territory. He even "hints" at sending troops in because it is needed for national security. This is what he promised the people of Greenland...

"We will keep you safe, we will make you rich, and together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before."

There's more...

"I think we're going to get it—one way or the other we're gonna get it," Trump said, drawing laughter from fellow Republicans in the chamber.

And Greenland's imperialism, which is considered a violation of international law, is only the beginning. t-RUMP, seemingly, still has plans for Canada and Panama.

If there is anything Trump is good at, it is using lawyers. His latest siege on American democracy came during his "accusatory and, at some times, rambling, speech at the Department of Justice."

"MSNBC host Michael Steele said the message sent by the president should send a chill down everyone's spines."

Here's the scenario...

"Speaking with his co-hosts on MSNBC's The Weekend, the former Republican National Committee chair said the re-elected Trump has an "army" of lawyers this go-around willing to do his bidding, no questions asked."

And Steele comments that we are experiencing a Donald Trump drunk with power that was given to him by the Supreme Court to act with impunity. That's right folks, as far as t-RUMP is concerned, he is exempt from punishment.

This one drew a "holy crap" from Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at American Immigration Council and former immigration lawyer for Immigrant Justice Corps. Donald Trump's Department of Justice pulled something that is without precedent in the U.S. After a judge blocked t-RUMP's move to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, his administration appealed. Then Reichlin-Melnick said his "holy crap"...

"The DOJ is arguing that the President can unilaterally deport anyone he wants without ANY statutory authority, just on his inherent authority as President over national security. That is a terrifying claim to make and has never been recognized before in US history."

And here's a reaction from an Authoritarianism expert...

Ruth Ben-Ghiat also flagged the appeal, writing on social media, "Everyone who thought he was joking about being a dictator, are you waking up now?"

This one is short but bitter. For some 43 million Americans who have federal student loan debt, the assault on the Dept. of Education by the White House maniac has caused their monthly payments to soar. They called the loan system under Biden "broken" but all that has resulted under t-RUMP is...

"...an effort to provide fewer rights and fewer resources for working people that have student debt, making the cost of living go up,” said Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center.

Arlington cemetery has become racist and misogynistic. This is what happened...

"Arlington National Cemetery has scrubbed from its website information and educational materials about the history of black and female service members."

According to the BBC, it is another of Trump's moves "to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in the military and throughout the federal government." Here's the story...

"Visitors to the site may also have trouble finding information, as links to major sections have disappeared. It no longer lists pages for African American History, Hispanic American History and Women's History."

And finally, former federal prosecutor Elie Honig takes a shot at t-RUMP, reminding the public just how unprecedented the grievance-filled speech was. To start...

“What happened today – that speech – was a desecration of the Justice Department of the Great Hall of Justice, where it was given."

Honig talked about a 1962 speech given by then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, then in comparison...

“Now, today, by contrast, we have Donald Trump calling prosecutors Marxists, scum, savages and thugs,” Honig said. “We have a five minute speech on Bobby Knight in Indiana basketball. We have talk about the price of eggs and bacon. We have stuff about Hunter Biden’s laptop. We have a riff about Norm Eisen – why? I have no idea.”

I have an idea. Donald Trump is mentally unbalanced. 

 

George Orwell's "1984" comes to Columbia University

 

I am an avid fan of George Orwell, his 1984 and Animal Farm. Each has the message that a larger power is always standing at the door, attempting to enter and take away the rights of everyone inside. In 1984, it is Big Brother, who rules over Oceania. In Animal Farm it is Napoleon, a pig who seizes power after the initial revolution and uses it to create a tyrannical dictatorship. In both cases, the analogy is clear with the United States replacing Oceania, and Donald Trump replacing Napoleon (Trump has spoken of him often).

It was on Saturday, March 8, that Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian at Columbia University, was arrested by federal immigration authorities, the new American version of the KGB. Here's the scenario from AP...

"Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia until this past December, was inside his university-owned apartment Saturday night when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered and took him into custody, his attorney, Amy Greer, told The Associated Press."

Khalil had been involved in some demonstrations at Columbia and was suspended at one point but was then reinstated as a Columbia student. His wife was also present during his arrest and is eight months pregnant. Khalil "is a legal resident of the US, was arrested and detained by federal agents after his lawyer said his green card was revoked by the Trump administration." 1984 had a daily “Two Minutes Hate” rallies that channeled citizens’ anger toward specific enemies, real or imagined. A part of Trump's plan for revenge.

Here is a statement from Trump...

Trump touted the arrest in a social media post, saying his administration will “find, apprehend, and deport” noncitizens who, in his view, engage in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”

The Oval Office lunatic tried to deport Khalil but "a federal judge barred the administration from deporting him pending a hearing in New York." Here's a statement from Irie Sentner, who was a student at Columbia University, where he covered tense campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war for the college newspaper and for POLITICO. The question is...

"Was deportation a widespread concern among immigrant students participating in the protests?"

The answer is...

"Absolutely. During the encampment, two friends who were international students told me they wished they could be there but couldn’t risk losing their visas. There was a similar fear among low-income students, who didn’t want to risk their scholarships or lose on-campus housing. Many chose to participate in other ways, like sharing pro-Palestinian content on social media or bringing food and supplies to the encampment."

In other words, many more students wanted to do their part in advocating for the Palestinian

cause but were afraid of either ending up on the streets of New York or in one of Donald Trump's stalags, as Khalil is in Louisiana. Big Brother used fear as a tool of control. I would think t-RUMP might have taken his lead from this, but forgot that he can't read.

You can read more of Gorge Orwell here.

RFK Jr. wants to send anti-depressant users to "wellness farms"

Brought to you by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Wellness farms, just another name for concentration camps. And that's where the new Sec. Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., wants to send anyone who takes an anti-depressant. Where the hell did this come from? To the best of my knowledge, there have been no reports of mass deaths from Prozac. The new health lunatic is spending his time, and, taxpayer money, on crap like this when the country has a new significant problem with the outbreaks of measles and bird flu.

Mother Jones covered the anti-depressant thing as far back as July of 2024...

"In a virtual event last week that was billed as a “Latino Town Hall,” presidential candidate and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled his plan to overhaul addiction treatment programs. Speaking during a live recording of the Latino Capitalist podcast, Kennedy described opioid, antidepressant, and ADHD “addicts” receiving treatment on tech-free “wellness farms,” where they would spend as much as three or four years growing organic produce."

Then, just recently, RFK Jr. submitted his plan to, " Round up people with mental health conditions in camps." He has completely flummoxed a clueless bunch of Republicans on his intentions for keeping people healthy, and suddenly digressed into the intention of creating his own system of stalags. Of course, in keeping with the ideology of Donald Trump. But I am both surprised and very disappointed there has been no massive outcry from the medical community. They've let the Kennedy outcast take healthcare into a downward spiral.

Here's the scenario from NPR...

New Mexico health officials [recently] confirmed the death of an unvaccinated adult who tested positive for measles. The first death was a school-age child in Gaines County, Texas, last week.

News of a second death comes as infectious disease doctors worry that the federal government's messaging about the outbreak is putting more emphasis on treatments like vitamin A than on vaccination, even as misinformation about some of these treatments is spreading online.

RFK Jr. did reference vaccine as good " for community immunity," but said "good

nutrition is 'a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses.'" NPR reports...

"That emphasis on nutrition and vitamin A to treat measles is concerning some infectious disease doctors."

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said...

"Mentions of cod liver oil [by RFK Jr.] and vitamins [are] just distracting people away from what the single message should be, which is to increase the vaccination rate."

RFK Jr. told Fox News' Sean Hannity that the best immunization to measles is to catch it. If you haven't already heard, the latest fad is to have measles parties where you can pass around the highly contagious viral disease, for adults and children. What Kennedy did not tell Hannity is the fact that doctors claim the downside from catching measles is worse than getting a vaccination. The health care imposter didn't mention that...

"measles can be deadly, although rare, with approximately 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 people with measles dying, even with the best care, primarily due to complications like pneumonia or encephalitis."

But why would he even address the above possibility? RFK Jr. is a part of the Trump administration that cut U.S. aid to millions producing the following reaction from Irish Star...

"Experts have warned that Donald Trump’s cuts to USAID could cause over 2.1 million deaths per year over the next three years."

Considering the current objective to eliminate as much money and people from the U.S. Government as Trump and Musk can manage, it is obvious the Republicans just don't care. So why should RFK Jr.???